Herald Highlands Ranch 7.25.13
Highlands Ranch
Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 26, Issue 36
July 25, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourhighlandsranchnews.com
Broadway project nears completion More Highlands Ranch construction underway By Ryan Boldrey
rboldrey@ourcoloradonews.com
Heritage Elementary School sixth-graders Madi Morris, left, and Benicio Archuleta pet one of the chickens at the school’s new run and coop. The students are both members of the school’s farm committee. Photos by Ryan Boldrey
School project is for the birds Heritage Elementary gets OK for 12 chickens in coop By Ryan Boldrey
rboldrey@ourcoloradonews.com More than half of the elementary schools throughout Douglas County have a community garden tended by students and staff. Only one boasts a chicken coop. Constructed this summer at Heritage Elementary School in Highlands Ranch as part of two Eagle Scout projects, the coop and accompanying run — built from recycled material and discount wood — are now home to a dozen birds, including Salmon Faverolle, Speckled Sussex, Rhode Island Reds and Plymouth Barred Rocks. What began as an idea sparked by health teacher Sue Antonsen and a group of fifthgraders on the school’s farming committee has taken full flight. Antonsen, whose wheels started turning this past school year when 4-H members brought in some eggs to the school’s third-grade classrooms for the students to hatch, now sees an oppor-
tunity where the students can learn a multitude of lessons. “I thought, `Wouldn’t it be amazing if we were able to keep the chickens that they hatch and raise them in the garden,’” Antonsen said. “The kids approached the principal after I warned him we were coming and he was all for it.” Once it was approved by the principal, the students — led by now sixth-graders Benicio Archuleta and Madi Morris — put together a PowerPoint presentation for county officials who came to the school for a special hearing. After hearing the students’ plans to keep the coop clean, put in protective ground wire and cover the structures to keep predators out, as well as understand that the chickens would be quiet with the exception of when they laid eggs, the county approved Birds continues on Page 11
Heritage Elementary School sixth-grader Isabella Heydman reacts to one of the dozen chickens at the school’s new run and coop leaping into the air off of her head.
School citizens’ committee forming Plans call for diverse group to give board input By Jane Reuter
jreuter@ourcoloradonews.com Two people who have often stood on opposite sides of Douglas County School District issues are together starting a citizens’ committee. The group will provide community input to the school board. “The group will interact on a regular basis with the Board of Education, and one of the functions of the group will be to perform a `checks and balance’ for operations of the DCSD,” according to a statement from Gary Colley and board member Meghann Silverthorn. Though a formal name hasn’t been chosen, Colley said it likely will be the Douglas County School District Community Accountability Committee. For nearly three years, Colley has asked the board for improved community communication, at times accusing them of showing disrespect to people with oppos-
ing viewpoints. In 2012, Colley wrote and submitted a proposed public comment policy to the board that it did not consider. In June, he proposed the formation of a community group. “You don’t have a right to complain about anything if you’re not going to present a solution at the same time,” Colley said. “We are taking it upon ourselves to provide a solution they’ve been ignoring. This is going to work, but it has to be given time to work.” Silverthorn said she liked Colley’s idea and met with him for a brainstorming session. “The concept of Gary Colley and I working together is sort of unusual,” Silverthorn said. “That alone will attract individuals who may not have otherwise chosen to participate.” The two co-hosted an organizational meeting July 24. “We look to bring together a diverse, non-partisan cross-section of the Douglas County community to include parents, teachers, students and non-parent community members,” the statement contin-
ues. Silverthorn noted the group is not an official school committee. “We as a board understand we don’t know everything about everything,” Silverthorn said. “We have some incredible community members with some incredible ideas. I would like to foster that discussion with the community.” The group’s purpose isn’t to revisit the past, Silverthorn said, but to focus on the future. “It’s not about grinding axes or complaining about the way the past was done,” she said. “It’s about moving forward. I want to keep it productive.” Silverthorn recently filed her intention to seek re-election to the board, but said her decision to work with Colley on the group isn’t politically motivated. “I would argue if my motivation were my re-election — Gary has been an individual who’s disagreed with the board, so it’d be safest not for me to speak to him at all,” she said. “I would prefer to get out there and open those channels of communication.”
With the Broadway/C-470 construction project ahead of schedule and anticipated to be complete by Sept. 1, Douglas County engineers are already beginning concrete repair work that will slow traffic down on many major Highlands Ranch roads through the first of November. “I’m sure everyone has seen the cone zones and some people have been frustrated by them, but we are doing the best we can,” said Douglas County Commissioner Jill Repella, adding that attempts have been made to spread the budgeted work out as much as possible in the community this year. After spending a combined $21.6 million on road maintenance in Highlands Ranch between 2006 and 2012, the county ramped up its budget for Highlands Ranch road repair in 2013, projecting to spend $18.9 million over the course of the year on the community’s aging streets. The amount of money being spent on concrete repair and replacement alone is expected to reach $14.3 million this year, up $3.3 million over the total spent the last seven years combined. The county has begun concrete work already on Highlands Ranch Parkway between Santa Fe Drive and Broadway, and plans to wrap up the first phase of that project by Aug. 5 with an estimated timeline of Sep. 13-25 for the second phase. The other stretch of Highlands Ranch Parkway that will be impacted is from Burntwood Way to Fairview Parkway, with phases of work being done Aug. 6-26 and Sept. 26-Oct. 8. Stretches of Wildcat Reserve Parkway, McArthur Ranch Road, Lucent Boulevard and Plaza Drive will also see work in August as well as in the fall, with the last phase of work anticipated to be wrapped up Nov. 1. Other projects include the implementation of a new right-turn lane for westbound Wildcat Reserve Parkway onto northbound Broadway as well as the ongoing Quebec/ University/Lincoln intersection project. Wildcat Reserve Parkway work, which began in late June, is expected to be complete by the end of September. Phase 2 of the Quebec/University/Lincoln intersection work, which will include lane widening at the southeast intersection, is planned for this fall. Future phases, scheduled for 2014, will focus on minor widening of the other three corners in order to accommodate additional through lanes.
upcoming concrete work Highlands Ranch Parkway from Santa Fe to Broadway: First phase anticipated completion date of Aug. 5 and second phase Sept. 13-25; from Burntwood to Fairview: First phase Aug. 6-26 and second phase Sept. 26-Oct. 8. Wildcat Reserve Parkway from Highlands Ranch Parkway to Broadway: Aug. 5-16 and from Arrowhead to Fairview: Sept. 2-12 McArthur Ranch Road from Quebec to Wildcat Reserve Parkway: Aug. 19-30. Lucent Boulevard from C-470 to Broadway: First phase Aug. 27-Sept. 9 and second phase Oct. 9-21. Plaza Drive from Broadway to Lucent: First phase Sept. 10-20 and second phase Oct. 22-Nov. 1.
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